By Rosa Martinez-Rodriguez/reporter
During her senior year at Arlington High School, Haily Dunn prepared to enroll for this semester at TCC. Like many other students, she had many questions.
Dunn wanted to know how to manage her schedule.
If a student and teacher do not synchronize in the way the teacher lectures or if a student has a particular way of learning, the student will have a difficult time, said Jason Wooten, Trinity River physical education assistant professor.
Wooten recommended finding out the instructor’s lecture style through peers’ word of mouth. He also offered study tips.
“Attend class regularly, listen to instructor’s point of emphasis, read and re-read chapters, use online tools, study in small groups and play competitive games,” he said.
Students should prioritize because some also face time constraints with work, social life and family, Wooten said.
“[Students should] attend new student orientation to find out the layout of the campus, what student services are all about, the programs and opportunities they have to get connected on campus so they don’t feel isolated,” he said.
Darin Suleiman, SE freshman, said going to high school and college is something she planned ahead because she did not want to overlap her high school and college classes.
Her advice to students planning to take partial college classes is to plan ahead, not to overload with too many classes and to make time to study.
“But at the same time, have enough time to enjoy yourself,” she said.
Suleiman attended her first TCC seminar at the SE Campus Multicultural Day. She said it was something different and she learned about different cultures and their customs.
“A girl from India danced, a Pakistani played the drums, and other people modeled their cultural outfits,” she said.
Suleiman plans to attend more of these events because it teaches people about different cultures.
“At the same time, it’s fun,” she said. “And it’s a great place to meet people.”
Another service Suleiman recommends is financial aid. She described completing the financial aid application as trouble-free.
“Just fill out the online application,” she said. “Then, you talk to a financial aid staff member. They will require verifying your parent’s income tax, and that is it.”
Many first-time college students have Dunn’s same question: “Is college hard?”
“If you put in the time and come to school, listen to your teachers and take notes, it is not that hard,” said Keona Johnson, a SE sophomore transferring to UTA.
Johnson said her first semester at TCC was uncomfortable because she did not know where her classes were. But once she got to meet her teachers and knew where her classes were, she became more relaxed.
“Classes are great, teachers are great,” she said.
“The key for getting good grades is to study, study, study.”
